What an incredible contrast with last night! After enjoying the magical evening hours yesterday at the impressive rock staircase of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, we left the Basque coast behind us this morning. Our final destination for tonight is the spectacular Mallos de Riglos, but the route around it forced us to take an unforgettable detour inland, straight through the semi-desert of Bardenas Reales.
As soon as you leave the paved road and drive onto the dusty, unpaved sand tracks, the world changes completely. The car has since taken on a new, sandy-yellow color thanks to the thick clouds of dust we left behind. It was scorching hot, the horizon shimmered with heat, and the vastness was overwhelming.
It is an environment where, so to speak, you spontaneously hear the legendary film music of Ennio Morricone echoing in your head. You keep looking around and almost expect a band of cowboys to ride out from behind the hills sculpted by erosion at any moment.
In the middle of this bone-dry emptiness, we stumbled upon a half-decayed, abandoned stone cottage. With a tuft of dried grass in the foreground and the clear blue sky above, this place exudes pure nostalgia and atmosphere. A perfect film set, hidden in the north of Spain.
The realm of wind and erosion
As you look around this vast plain, you truly realize just how extraordinary Mother Nature has been at work. What we see here is the Bardenas Blanca, the most desert-like part of the nature park. The bone-dry ground is dotted with low, hardy shrubs that manage to defy the scorching heat and the cutting wind.
In the distance, you can see the impressive table mountains (the so-called cabezos) and rugged ridges. The layering of the rock reveals millions of years of erosion by water and wind. Far to the left on the horizon, you can even see the iconic peak of Castildetierra already rising proudly. It is almost unreal that this otherworldly scenery is located just a few hours’ drive from the ocean. A dream for every road tripper.
Face to face with Castildetierra
And there we suddenly stood, face to face with the symbol of this nature reserve: the mighty Castildetierra. Only from the side do you truly appreciate just how bizarre and fragile this natural wonder actually is. The formation looks like a gigantic, wind-sculpted sandcastle that could collapse at any moment.
The geological interplay is fascinating. The hard sandstone upper layer protects the softer clay and marl layers beneath from the heavy rain showers that very occasionally flood the area. Yet erosion is slowly taking its toll; every storm chips away a small piece of this striking tower. It is a magical and at the same time ephemeral monument in the heart of the desert. We could have stayed here photographing for hours.
A lonely sentinel in the heat
From a different angle, it becomes truly clear just how steep and monumental Castildetierra gleams in the burning sun. The rocky foreground full of loose boulders and the solitary desert shrub reinforce that typical ‘middle of nowhere’ feeling. The massive sandstone ‘hat’ atop the summit has balanced there for centuries, like a sentinel looking out over the dry plain. You feel very small as a human being when you stand at the foot of this natural work of art.
Living in the void
Just when you think this scorching desert is completely lifeless, you are surprised by the details. Right before a deep, erosion-carved gully, we stumbled upon a clump of cheerful white flowers. They stand there proudly, as if completely ignoring the searing sun and the bone-dry ground. The contrast with Castildetierra’s razor-sharp lines in the background could hardly be greater. It proves once again that even in the most extreme landscapes, unexpected beauty can always be found if you look closely around you.
The fine lines of the badland
When you look at Castildetierra from even closer, the countless grooves and wrinkles in the flanks truly stand out. The surrounding terrain undulates upwards like a sea of dried clay and sand. Every raindrop that falls here during the rare storms finds its way down and carves new miniature ravines into the fragile slope. It is fascinating to consider that, in a few decades, this work of art will look very different due to those same forces of nature. A final, impressive look at this unique desert giant before we shake off the dust.
Farewell to the desert, off to the Mallos
With a final glance at Castildetierra, which here shoots up from the deep gorges almost like a graceful stone flame, we concluded our impressive trek through the Bardenas Reales. The deep, cracked earth in the foreground shows one last time how mercilessly the heat and drought strike here. It was an unforgettable, dusty detour that we wouldn’t have missed for the world.
But the day isn’t over yet! We got back into our car, which had by then turned sand-yellow, and let the Morricone music slowly fade into the background. The desert tracks gave way to smoother asphalt again, winding towards the rugged foothills of the Pyrenees. The gigantic, sheer red rock towers of Mallos de Riglos await us. What an insane road trip this is already!
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